Vet Checks (Mandatory all Teams)

♦  When:  Saturday, Feburary 25, 2012.  9:00AM - 3:30PM

♦  Where:  Vermilion Community College, Lower parking lot.  1900 Camp Street (17th Ave & Camp Street) Ely, MN

Join us, for the WolfTrack Classic Sled Dog Race Vet Checks.  See our veterinarians perform comprehensive veterinarian examinations on all of the four-legged competitors.  Each and every dog (650 dogs) must be fully examined and ruled fit to run the race by our Veterinarians.  The Vet Checks draw large crowds, as this is the first chance for spectators to meet the human and canine competitors.  This is a free family event, dress warm and don't forget to bring your camera. 

The Adventurer's Gala (Mandatory all Mushers)

♦  When:  Saturday, Feburary 25, 2012.  5:00PM to 8:30PM

♦  Where:  The Vermilion Community College Cafeteria, 1900 Camp Street, Ely, MN

Join us and all of the competing 2010 Mushers as we "kick off" the race weekend!  With a pre-race banquet & keynote speaker event, featuring a social hour, a delicious dinner, our keynote speakers and the presentation of the 2011 race bibs.  See The Adventurer's Gala Page, or click HERE for more information.

6-Dog Race Start

♦  When:  Sunday, February 26th, 1:00PM

♦  Where:   Old Airport Road and State Highway #1 (Softball Fields) Ely, MN.

Cheer on all of the 6-Dog teams as they start a exciting day of racing!  Arrive early, meet the mushers and their canine athletes, and stake out a good spot to watch all the action.  Watch the 6-Dog teams rocket out of the starting chute for the 30-mile race.  The first team leaves the start line at exactly 1:00PM followed by subsequent teams every 2 minutes.  The race start is a great photo opportunity, so bring your cameras.  We still need volunteers for Race Start dog crews!

6-Dog Race Finish

♦  When:  Sunday, February 26th, between 3:00PM and 5:30PM.

♦  Where:  The Civic Center, Tower, MN.

Join hundreds of spectators in downtown Tower as we cheer for the finishers of the 6-Dog race.  The city of Tower opens the Civic Center early Sunday providing a place for spectators to warm up and get some food.  Volunteers from Tower and city officials go all out to provide a fun and festive atmosphere for everyone.  Shortly after the last 6-Dog team arrives, the awards ceremony for the 6-Dog race begins in the Civic Center.  The room is packed with spectators, media, and competitors awaiting the announcement of who will be the WolfTrack Classic 6-Dog Champion.

10-Dog Race Start

♦  When:  Sunday, February 26th, 2012. 9:00AM

♦  Where:   Old Airport Road and State Highway #1 (Softball Fields) Ely, MN.

Join hundreds of race fans at the Ely start to watch the 10-Dog teams blast out of the starting chute for the long and grueling 130-mile race.  The first team leaves the start line at exactly 9:00AM followed by subsequent teams every 2 minutes.  Arrive early, meet the mushers and their canine athletes, and stake out a good spot to see all the action.  We do need volunteers for Race Start dog crews!

10-Dog Race Checkpoints

♦  When:  Sunday, Feburary 26th, and Monday, Feburary 27th.

♦  Where:  Downtown Tower - The Depot, Civic Center & Iron Ore Bar, and Cook - Civic Center, Hwy 53 & Johnson Road

Cheer on your favorite musher in the 10-Dog Race at one or all of the checkpoints!  Follow the teams from checkpoint to checkpoint!!  Each musher in the 10-Dog race is required to take a total of eight (8) hours rest throughout the race at one or more of the checkpoints.  Each musher will choose where and how much they want to rest at each checkpoint as part of their overall race strategy.  But, each musher is required to take at least 4 hours rest in Cook.  The checkpoints are Tower, MN (outbound), Cook, MN (turnaround), and again Tower, MN (inbound).  See Race Maps for details.

 

The checkpoints are a great place to see the mushers and teams up close.  Watch as the teams come into the checkpoint, get bedded down, fed and sleep.  Cheer the teams on as they leave the checkpoint for the next leg of the race.  We do ask that quiet be maintained in the checkpoints as the mushers and dogs are resting.

 

We can expect to see the first 10-dog teams into Tower shortly after 11:30AM Sunday.  Some teams may rest here for a few hours, and some teams will push on to Cook to rest there.  We may see the first team arrive in Cook sometime after 3:00PM.  On the way back to Ely, we are expecting the first team to arrive into Tower about 10:30PM.  Much of this depends on the weather, trail conditions, and musher strategy.  Stay tuned to the race on Facebook and this website, we will be posting race news and information as it happens.

10-Dog Race Finish

♦  When:  Monday, February 27th, 4:30AM to 9:00AM

♦  Where:  Old Airport Road and State Highway #1 (Softball Fields) Ely, MN.

Join spectators, media, and race officials as they anxiously await to see what team crosses the finish line first in the 10-Dog Race.  My guess is the first team will cross the finish line sometime after 5:45AM.  But, show up early in case I am wrong!  The 10-Dog Race Awards Ceremony will be at the Tower Civic Center at about 11:00AM.  Check back here or on our Facebook site for updates regarding estimated finish times.

Other Good Race Viewing Areas

♦  Hwy 21 - From Hwy 169 in Ely - Take Hwy 21 towards Babbitt driving 1 Mile to road crossing.  Parking on shoulder, you may need to walk a little to the road crossing.

♦  Bearhead State Park - Take Hwy 169 about 12.5 miles west of Ely to County Road 128, go south approximately 4 miles to where the Taconite trail crosses County Road 128.  You will know when you have reached the crossing, as Wolftrack Classic staff and emergency vehicles will be parked along the road.  All vehicles must have a State Park vehicle permit, a day pass can be purchased for only $5.00 at the Rangers Office.  Both the 6-dog teams and the 10-dog teams will cross here.

  Tower Area

♦  Thompson Farm Road - From Tower, travel approximately 2.1 miles east on Hwy 169.  Turn right (south) and continue until trail intersects.

♦  Junction Rd - East of Tower in Sudan MN, On Hwy 169/1 at Mile Marker 265.  Go south on Center Rd, take a right on South St to Junction Rd. It is 0.6 Miles on Junction Rd to first crossing.  - On Hwy 169/1 at Mile Marker 264, you will see Junction Rd crossing to the South an extremely short distance away. It is across from N. 2^nd Street. Or if you were at the other Junction Rd crossing it is 0.6 miles west from the first one.

♦  Highway 135 - Drive out of Tower on Hwy 135,  Just outside of town the trail crosses the 4 lane Hwy. There are wide shoulders for parking and this crossing is not far from the checkpoint.....But Be AWARE of the Traffic.

♦  Koski Road - From the "Y Store" (Hwy 169 & Hwy 1) travel 1/2 mile west on Hwy 169.  Turn right on Koski Road and continue until trail intersects. This road may be icy.

 Cook Area

♦  Hwy 1 (Cook) - From Hwy 53 at Mile Marker 87, turn East on  Hwy 1.  Follow Hwy 1 East until Mile Marker 247, continue about 1/3 of a mile until you see the crossing.  From the Tower direction drive approximately 12 miles from the Y store on Hwy 1 to the crossing.

♦  Johnson Road (County Rd 948) - From Hwy 53 at Mile Marker 92, Go east on Johnson Rd, drive over railroad tracks, Crossing is 0.1 Mile from intersection of Gopher Drive and Johnson Rd.  Great spot to see teams heading in or out of checkpoint.

♦  Sassas Road (County Road 512) -  (There is no road sign, only the CR sign) – The WolfTrack Trail crosses this road three times. First crossing is 0.5 Mile north of E. Leander Rd and is on the slope of a hill 47.48.28N 092.36.34W The trail crosses the road a second time 0.3 Miles north from first crossing and both of these are on a plowed section of road.

♦  Leander Road - The WolfTrack Trail crosses Leander Road about 0.75 Mile east of Sassas Road.